Call of the Wild
by NecroObscurite
Summary: Spike has grown older, but not fully grown. More of his kind start to show up in the area, which awakens the ancient instincts hidden deep within Spike. Just in time, as a new threat is rising in Equestria. Rated for violence and swearing.
1. A Drake's Vow

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, but I'm generally a good writer so this shouldn't be all that bad. I'm not all **_**that **_**much of a fan, in fact the only reason I watch the show on youtube is because of Spike, he's my favorite. Oh, and by the way, **_**I looked on the official site, and they don't even mention him. **_***sighs* Anyway... Let's begin. I hope you like it!**

Call of the Wild

Chapter One

A Drake's Vow

Deep in the Everfree Forest, filled with snow, a dragon, about twice as tall as a pony, trudged through the snow. At least, you'd think it was a dragon – a young one. The only difference being he did not have wings. That and the fact that he was actually full grown. Truth be told, he wasn't a dragon, but a drake. His white scales made him seem almost invisible against the falling snow.

Almost invisible, but not completely. One creature did make him out against the flakes, and it wasn't happy too see him. It was a basilisk, a huge reptilian creature that crawls about on eight legs. The drake heard the basilisk's footsteps like thunder, and turned around to face the threat – but it was too late. With one swing of its claw, the basilisk, who was a jet black color, sent the poor drake tumbling through the snow.

The drake managed to get to his feet, blood pouring down his face. His vision was blurry, like half the world was cut off. It took him a minute to realize that he was missing an eye. But that didn't stop him. The drake leaped at the basilisk, landing on its face. The black beast roared and shook its head, swinging its many claws around. Due to its stubby legs, however, the basilisk had no hope of reaching the attacker. The drake clawed out the basilisk's right eye in revenge – an eye for an eye – then continued to bite it's nose. The basilisk screeched in pain, rearing up on its four back legs, thrashing about with its four front legs. It was too no avail.

As the basilisk thrashed about, neither of the two creatures realized they were going backwards, straight for a cliff. They continued to head towards it, until the ground disappeared from beneath the basilisk's feet and both of them went tumbling down into the darkness, their roars echoing through the canyon.

5 years later, it is winter once again in the Everfree Forest. Roaming the forest was another drake, a blue one. In fact, it was Rek, the son of the drake killed 5 years previous. The basilisk from that faithful day, on the other hand, had survived the fall and was now rampaging through the forest. Rek, who nicknamed the basilisk Ukuk, had sworn to kill Ukuk after learning of his father's death. Rek had gone out on yet another journey to try and hunt down the basilisk. He was hot on the trail.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Twilight was writing yet another letter. Nearby, Spike was curled up on the floor, relaxing. Although Twilight and the other ponies hadn't changed much, Spike certainly had. Within a short 2 years he had gone through a sudden growth spurt, and was now as tall as Twilight herself. Rather unexpectedly, Spike had become a quadruped. It took all the ponies by surprise, but they quickly got used to it, being quadrupeds themselves.

Sighing, Twilight used her magic to set the quill down, roll up the parchment, and put both aside. Spike raised his head.

"Another long day of studying," the unicorn sighed as she headed up the stairs. "I'm exhausted."

Spike could only nod in agreement. He was surprised he had not fallen asleep right on the floor. Instead, he followed Twilight upstairs. Having grown too big for his basket, Spike found himself content on the floor. Twilight would sometimes try to offer to get him something more comfortable, but he would only tell her, "It's fine, really." Apparently, he was right, because he seemed to sleep fine.

Back in the forest, Rek had found the footprints of a particularly large basilisk. Ukuk had made a reputation with the forest animals of being unusually big even for a basilisk. So, thanks to the huge tracks, Rek had a good feeling that he was on the right trail.

_Today could be the day! _The blue drake thought to himself.

The truth was, Rek didn't realize how powerful Ukuk really was. The fight with Rek's father had caused Ukuk to go ballistic, destroying everything in his path. Even if Rek could somehow manage to take down the creature, it would be for the good of the whole forest, and not just in revenge for Rek's father.

Suddenly Rek stopped. Ukuk would be hard to spot due to his black color, especially in the night, but thanks to the great size of the beast Rek could spot him easily.

_That's him, _Rek thought in amazement. _It's Ukuk, my father's killer!_

Rek froze. He was suddenly very scared. He hadn't realized how big the basilisk was! A strong wind started to blow up, and Ukuk lumbered away from the area. Rek jolted out of his frightened state just in time to realize that Ukuk was out of sight. Burning with a new anger, Rek followed Ukuk's tracks.

That's when Rek heard loud bellow from behind. Rek turned around in astonishment to see Ukuk standing there, almost haughtily.

_He knew I was here the whole time! _Rek realized in astonishment. _So he faked not knowing I was here, and came up behind me! I've never known a basilisk to be that smart – he's a _demon_!_

Wasting no time, Ukuk charged.

Back in Ponyville, it wasn't too late at night, just late enough for Spike to have fallen into a very light sleep. With a start, he woke up, raising his head to look out the window. He felt something strange... He couldn't describe it. But why was he feeling it? Spike couldn't fall back asleep. Instead, he looked out at the Everfree Forest, mesmerized by this sensational feeling.

Rek was overcome by fear. Dodging Ukuk's charge, the drake hid in a nearby ditch too narrow for the basilisk to get into.

_How could I be so stupid? _Rek cursed himself. _That thing is huge! I can't beat that!_

Ukuk stood by the ditch, going into a fit of rage for not being able to get Rek. This only frightened Rek more, causing him to push himself further down into the darkness. Rek started wishing the ditch was deeper.

_No, I can't be a coward, _Rek hissed at himself. _I've finally found him – I can't back out now!_

With a growl, Rek leaped out of the ditch and landed on Ukuk's head, just as Rek's father had done. This time, though, Ukuk immediately raced towards the nearest tree, charging into it. The impact didn't harm Ukuk, but was enough to send Rek flying. With surprising agility, Ukuk reared up and used one of his paws to deliver a crushing blow to Rek's back, who tumbled and then disappeared into a deep drift of snow.

Spike stood up. He decided that a stroll would help him relax. Just as he was heading out the door, he heard Twilight call his name.

"Spike," Twilight mumbled sleepily. The sounds of him getting up had woken her. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep," Spike answered. "I'm going to go take a walk."

"Oh, okay," Twilight answered. She was a little more waken up now. "Would you mind if I tagged along?"

Spike motioned with his claw for her to come with, and they both stepped into the fresh night air.

Ukuk dug furiously into the snow, intent on finding Rek. Much to the basilisk's surprise, however, Rek burst of the snow a few feet to the left of where he had fallen in, and the drake was now on Ukuk's back, who thrashed about. Apparently, the injury to Rek's back didn't stop him from continuing the fight.

Spike and Twilight had both roamed to the outskirts of Evergreen Forest, where the winter breeze was nice and relaxing after being cooped up inside due to the weather.

Suddenly, Spike stopped, and turned his head to look curiously beyond the trees.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Come on," Spike replied shortly as he started off into the forest at a brisk pace.

"Wait!" Twilight cantered to catch up with him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but something tells me we better check it out."

Spike's look said it all: he was _very _serious. Twilight knew there was no reasoning with him. She considered going back to fetch the other ponies, but they were probably already asleep. Besides, she didn't want to leave Spike alone. So, Twilight had no choice but to follow Spike.

They both ran through the trees. Without warning, Spike halted abruptly. Twilight did the same. They had come up onto the top of a steep hill. Down below, they could both see the fight between Rek and Ukuk. All they could do was gape in awe.

_That blue one... _Spike observed. _He's like me. A dragon, but without wings. He's big, but not as tall as a dragon, and yet he looks fully grown. He's obviously not a real dragon, but related to them. And since we're so alike... Does that mean I'm not a dragon either? _Spike was shocked at the thought. He had always dreamed of becoming very big, and growing a pair of wings to match. But Rek had just changed that.

Spike let a deep growl rise from his throat. Twilight was startled. Spike hadn't growled like that in years. Before Twilight could react, Spike was racing down the hill, straight for the basilisk. Twilight called out after him, but he didn't stop. Twilight galloped after Spike, repeatedly calling his name. She had no idea what that silly dragon could possibly be thinking.

Just as Rek fell off Ukuk, Spike charged into the basilisk, which caused it to rear up. As it did so, it's lashing tail tripped Twilight, who tumbled into the same ditch Rek was in minutes before.

Rek stared at Spike, who had fallen into the snow and was now getting up, in astonishment. Previously, Rek had believed that he was the only drake in the Everfree Forest.

Princess Celestia would have her royal knights retrieve dragon eggs to be used in tests similar to the one Twilight endured.

One year ago, Rek and his mate had a single egg. One of the knights mistook this drake egg for a dragon egg, and brought it back to Canterlot for Twilight's test. No one there recognized the egg as a drake's and not a dragon's. This egg was Spike. Only a few months later, Rek's mate died of a terrible disease. Because of Spike being stolen as an egg, and Rek's mate and father's death, Rek was left as the last drake in Everfree Forest... At least, until now.

Of course, neither Spike nor Rek knew that they were related, but Rek did know three things: that Spike was a drake, like him, that Spike was still young, and that he needed help. And so, just as Ukuk was looming over Spike, Rek launched himself at the basilisk, who teetered back and away from the terrified purple drake.

At the same time, Twilight had pulled herself up and looked out over the edge of the ditch. Her mouth fell agape as she witnessed the fight, but she was relieved to see Spike unharmed off to the side.

Once again, Rek jumped at Ukuk, but this time the beast was ready. It reared up in time to swat Rek away with one great claw.

Spike stood up and roared, drawing Ukuk's attention. Ukuk immediately charged after the new drake.

"Spike! Run!" Twilight called out to her friend.

Spike didn't need to be told twice – he took off as fast as his legs could carry him. But that wasn't enough, and Ukuk was a little faster. The basilisk managed to reach out a claw and trip Spike, sending him head-over-heels.

"Spike!" Twilight screamed once again.

Just as Ukuk reared and was going to crush Spike beneath one of it's paws, Rek bit onto that paw, distracting Ukuk and giving Spike enough time to crawl a good distance away. By then, Ukuk flung Rek a couple meters in the opposite direction. Rek, who only had enough energy to crouch, was breathing heavily with exhaustion.

Once again, Ukuk advanced on Spike, but Rek still had some fight in him. He ran with surprising speed considering his condition, and pulled Spike out of the way just in time. Both the drakes were trembling, but for different reasons. Rek was exhausted, and Spike had never been this scared before in his life. Ukuk hissed in annoyance, and yet again raised a paw above the two drakes, intent on crushing both of them.

"Spike!" Twilight screamed again. This time, she caught both Spike and Rek's attention.

Understanding what had to be done, Rek nudged Spike repeatedly, prompting him to get up. Once on his feet again, Spike ran towards Twilight and jumped into the ditch with her, then poked his head back out to watch the fight between his savior, Rek, and the basilisk Ukuk.

Both Rek and Spike's eyes met, and they stared at each other for what felt like forever. The feeling that Spike felt back in Ponyville was suddenly stronger than ever before.

Then, Ukuk scooped Rek up into one massive paw and threw him into the same canyon Rek's father died in, causing Twilight and Spike to gasp.

Satisfied with finally getting rid of Rek, Ukuk turned his attention to Twilight and Spike.

Twilight cringed, but Spike was starting to burn with anger. That blue, dragon-like animal – whatever it was – had sacrificed himself for Spike, and as far as they knew, they were complete strangers. Spike had always been taught that revenge was a bad thing, but that didn't stop him from charging head-on towards Ukuk, roaring out a fierce "Damn you!" Twilight was shocked. She had never heard Spike talk like that before.

Despite Spike's outrages of the occasional "Get back here!" and "You're going to regret this day!", Ukuk coolly walked away from the scene. When Spike started snapping at the basilisk's heels, however, Ukuk ran off, not out of fear, but simply because he didn't feel like bothering with Spike.

Twilight crawled out of the ditch herself. Once out, all she could do was stand there and let out a long exhale. What an experience that had been! She noticed Spike moving, and looked to see what he was doing now.

Spike was, in fact, practically dragging himself towards the edge of the canyon, where he looked down into the darkness below.

"Thank you for saving me," Spike whispered, hoping the dead drake's spirit would hear him. "Someone has to stop that monster. I promise your death wasn't for nothing. I promise!"

Slowly, Spike stood up and walked slowly back over to a silent Twilight, with whom he exchanged a solemn glance.

They were both silent on the way back to Ponyville. It was late now, and so they both made their back as quickly as possible. Along the way, Spike made a silent vow to himself that he would do whatever he could to remove the threat of that beast.

5 years ago it was the white drake, then his son Rek. Now, it was Spike. Spike didn't know it, but he was the third generation of his long-lost family to fight Ukuk. Will he succeed, or will he meet the same fate as his father and grandfather?


	2. The Morning Trials

**Author's Note: I was originally going to only upload the first chapter, but when told me of the 2 day waiting period, I took it as a chance to finish the second. By the way, I'm planning on taking a while with this. No, seriously. I have 21 chapters planned out. That's right ladies and gentlemen, we're in for the long haul!**

**Also, something very important I would like to mention: I don't use terms like "everypony" and "anypony". I write pretty quickly, and as I write I subconsiously write, well, normally. I simply don't have the time or patience to worry myself with that "pony" stuff.**

**One more thing, I noticed that the basilisk is black and evil, and I know that's not such a bad thing. But in some context it sounds racist. Please note that I am not racist, thank you.**

Call of the Wild

Chapter Two

The Morning Trials

Despite the previous night, Twilight and Spike both got some good sleep while still managing to wake up at a reasonable hour. The morning was uneventful, and everything was as usual. Neither of them mentioned last night's events.

About an hour after they both woke up, Twilight and Spike had joined up with the rest of the pony gang. They all relaxed in the meadows near Sweet Apple Acres. Here, they all sat in a valley where the snow was deepest, but that was apparently the whole point of Applejack's "game".

"Alright!" Applejack cheered, seeing all her friends lined up in front of her. "I thought of a fun little activity we could do. Not only will it be fun, but it will help wake us up and get us into the motion of the day."

"So, um, if I may ask," Fluttershy raised a hoof, grabbing Applejack's attention. "What are we supposed to do?"

Applejack raised her head and clearly announced the answer, "Race!"

At this, Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Seriously? We all know that I'm the fastest in all of Equestria!"

"Well, there's a catch," Applejack said with a smirk. "You see, not only are you not allowed to fly, but we all have to find a way to cope with this deep snow."

Dash landed on the ground, muttering, "Okay, fine. But I'll still win."

"We'll start here," Applejack announced, positioning herself next to the rest of the ponies - and Spike. "The finish line is the nearest tree of Sweet Apple Acres." It wasn't very far, but then again the race wasn't a big deal.

"Get ready, get set," Applejack announced as everyone crouched back, ready to spring into action. "GO!"

Everyone ran for the treeline as fast as they could, despite the snow. Well, everyone except Spike, that is. He merely sat back with a blank face. After a moment, Spike trudged through the snow, but not towards the finish. Instead, he took a detour to the right, where there was a path that came out of Sweet Apple Acres and through the meadow. The path had been cleared of snow earlier that morning. Spike jumped onto the path where he took off towards the finish. Unlike the faltering ponies, there was no snow to slow him down, and he easily made it to the finish first.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Dash complained, second to arrive. "You cheated!"

"Now hang on a moment, sugarcube," Applejack came up third. "I said everyone has to find a way to cope. Technically, that's exactly what Spike did."

Spike smiled and raised his head, proud of himself for coming up with such an idea.

Pinkie Pie was fourth, Twilight came next, then Rarity, then Fluttershy. Soon everyone was gathered at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, congratulating Spike on his smart thinking. Even Twilight was impressed!

"Twilight, do you think we should tell them?" Spike whispered into Twilight's ear. "About last night?"

Twilight hesitated, then gave a nod. "I think you should tell them. You were the brave one."

"Oooooh!" Pinkie Pie giggled with excitement. "A story? I love stories! Come on, Spike, tell us! Please!"

"Okay, okay," Spike said, chuckling. "I never said I wouldn't. By the way, it isn't a story. This is for _real_."

This piked everyone's interest, and soon Spike was deep into what had happened. He went into great detail with he blue and black creatures. He especially expressed his hate for the black one. Just as Spike was getting into the part where the blue one was thrown into the canyon, he stopped.

"Twilight, I just had an idea," Spike said, turning to her. "Let's go back to he library, now!"

With that, Spike ran back home.

Twilight turned to face her confused friends, and said with a shrug, "He's been unexpectedly running off lately." Then she went to follow him.

Once he was at the library, Spike didn't go in. Instead, he waited for her to catch up.

"I have a little announcement I'd like to tell you before I tell the others," Spike explained. "Back in the forest... I blame myself for the death of... whatever it was that saved me. If I was tougher... I could have helped him. But that's all going to change. From now on, I'm going to work harder."

Twilight nodded her head. She found herself agreeing with Spike deeply. She understood that Spike was guilty of not being able to do something to stop that monster, and she respected him for trying to make things right.

Spike glanced away as a breeze brought new flakes. It would soon be snowing heavily. "I start tomorrow."

Sure enough, Spike was out and about early the next day. Despite the fact that Twilight overslept, she easily found him on the outskirts of town, where he was feeling the ground with his paws.

"I'm trying to find gems," Spike said before Twilight could ask. "In the wild, gems aren't served. You have to find them."

Twilight was taken aback. "What do you mean 'in the wild'? Spike... Just what are you planning to do?"

Spike was silent for awhile, then changed the subject. "That blue one, from before. He was a lot like me, but not a dragon. I don't think I'm a dragon."

When Twilight didn't respond, Spike continued, "I wonder what I _really _am."

"You want to find out?" Twilight asked. Spike nodded, and they both went back to the library.

Inside, Twilight used her magic to take a leather book off the shelves. It was about as thick as Spike's foot. On the cover, in neat, gold thread, were the words The Dracopedia: A Guide to Dragons and Dragonkind. Twilight used her magic to flip through the pages. It was full of beautiful, detailed artwork. "There." Twilight stopped on a page that depicted a red creature that resembled both Spike and the blue animal from before.

"According to the book," Twilight announced. "You are apparently a drake."

"A drake, huh?" Spike echoed. He thought about asking Twilight to look further into the subject, but a new idea came to mind. "Maybe the black one is in there, I'd like to find out what that was."

Twilight nodded and continued to flip through the pages. This time, she stopped on a picture that looked a lot like monster, but in the picture it was green. It also seemed to be smaller than the black beast.

"Basilisk," Twilight read. "It's a basilisk." Spike nodded in understanding.

A week later. Twilight had gone to Sugarcude Corner to pick up an order, when she noticed a unicorn standing outside. The unicorn, a girl, was purple in color with yellow hair and eyes. She had a mountain as her cutie mark. Twilight was astonished to see a drake with her - just like Spike! This drake was a silver color, and was full-grown.

_I wonder if Spike will grow up to be like that, _Twilight thought.

"Jihn, stay outside," the unicorn commanded. As the unicorn entered Sugarcube Corner, the silver drake, who was apparently named Jihn, sat down obediently.

_He's so well-behaved! _Twilight thought in awe. _He didn't even say anything._

Pinkie Pie had to explain that Twilight's order wasn't ready since they were so busy. Twilight understood and left. When she got back, Spike was nowhere to be found. Twilight, deciding to search for him, went to Carousel Boutique to ask Rarity if she had seen him.

"Why, yes, actually," Rarity replied. "He went down to the docks carrying some gems."

Twilight thanked Rarity and then set off for the docks. There, she found Spike. On the shore, he had set his gems into two piles. Twilight watched as Spike took a gem from the first pile, carried it out onto the dock, and dropped it into the water. Spike then jumped into the water to retrieve it before bringing it back onshore and placing it the second pile. Spike then repeated the process, but this time he brought the gem out further, where the water was deeper. This time, Spike had to try repeatedly to get the gem. He would run out of air partway through, then come back to the surface only to try again.

"That's enough for today," Spike said to himself as he got out of the water. Twilight was relieved that he wasn't pushing himself too hard. When he noticed Twilight standing there, Spike explained, "Part of the training I was talking about."

Once they were both back home, there was no time to relax. "I'm going into Everfree Forest," Spike said. "Are you coming?" Twilight answered by following Spike into the forest.

They hadn't gone far when they reached a small cliff with a wild, raging river below.

"Now you will see what my training has done for me," Spike said as he threw a gem down into the river. He watched it get lodged in between some rocks. Despite Twilight telling him not to, Spike jumped down the cliff and into the river, downstream of the precious gem. This way, he had to fight against the strong current to reach his prize.

Little did Spike or Twilight know, Jihn was observing from further downstream. With a growl, the silver drake leaped into the river and went after the gem. Being an adult, Jihn easily reached the gem before Spike and stole it away, much to Spike's annoyance. Jihn pulled himself up onto the nearby bank, then turned to sneer at Spike. Jihn ran up a slope to where Twilight stood. Jihn raced past her, a very angry Spike on his heels. Skillfully, Jihn jumped from the cliff, over the river, and landed on a cliff on the other side. He then turned around and seemed to mock Spike. Much to Twilight's horror, Spike jumped after him, only to fall into the river below.

"Spike!" Twilight called down. "Spike, are you okay?"

Spike surfaced in the water, and managed to drag himself to shore, where Twilight came to meet him.

"Not only was that _my _gem," Spike growled at no one. "But _he _just _had _to _show-off!_"

"I wouldn't take it so hard," Twilight tried to calm her friend down. "You're still young, and he's an adult."

"I guess so." Spike sighed, and they both started to head home. On the way, who else but the purple unicorn Twilight saw from before come trotting up, Jihn right behind her.

At the sight of Jihn, Spike let a hiss escape his throat.

"My, my," the unicorn said, almost mockingly. "How ill-behaved." She looked at Twilight. "I'm Earthen Amethyst, but you can just call me Ammy." She gestured to Jihn. "That's Jihn. Who, by the way, is so much better than you're newt here."

Twilight didn't understand why she was bothering to compare the two, as she stated, "He's so much older than Spike. You can't blame Spike for being young."

Ammy just rolled her eyes and walked by, Jihn following close behind. Twilight and Spike waited until they were out of sight, then continued to walk home.

_That cursed Jihn, _Spike thought angrily. _I don't care if he's a drake like me. I'm not going to lose to him again!_


	3. DeathDefying Friendship

**Author's Note: I've decided that at the beginning of each chapter, I'll go over the OCs so far so you don't get confused.**

**Ukuk – the giant black basilisk**

**Rek – the blue drake that saved Spike's life, then died**

**Jihn – the silver drake that has become Spike's rival**

**Ammy – a purple unicorn who is to Jihn as Twilight is to Spike**

**Don't forget that Spike is older, as tall as Twilight, and quadrupedal!**

Call of the Wild

Chapter Three

Death-Defying Friendship

After returning to Ponyville, Spike needed to rest in the library. Twilight thought it would be best to keep him company. To pass the time, Twilight had started to research drakes.

"It says here that drakes once lived in open savannahs, but eventually spread out worldwide," Twilight informed a very interested Spike. "It also says that our ancestors tamed them and trained them to race. I bet Dash-"

"Someone's here!" Spike stood up and looked at the door. "I smell blood!"

At once, Twilight used her magic to open the door, letting a wounded Applejack collapse on the floor of the library. Twilight quickly got to her friend's side. Applejack had a scratch on her back. It wasn't too serious of an injury, but still needed to be tended to.

"Applejack, what happened?" Twilight asked her friend. The earth pony couldn't answer.

Meanwhile, Spike had rushed upstairs to retrieve supplied for Applejack. He came back down with bandages and medicine. Once Applejack was tended to and made comfortable in Twilight's bed, Twilight asked Applejack the same question.

"A mo-monster..." Applejack was shaking with fear. She turned to Spike. "It looked just like the one in that story you told us. I was on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres when it attacked me out of nowhere."

Spike's jaw dropped. He knew Ukuk was vicious, but to venture out of Everfree Forest and attack the residents of Ponyville? The horror!

"It's still out there," Applejack continued. "Please... stop it before it hurts... anyone else..." Then Applejack fainted again.

"She's okay," Twilight confirmed. "She's just exhausted. I imagine she must have dragged herself all the way here... What spirit. What she needs now is rest."

"That bloody basilisk!" Spike was furious. "He needs to be stopped. If this continues, he'll be rampaging through Ponyville!"

There was silence for a while, other than Applejack's audible breathing.

"I'm going out there," Spike said quietly. He glared at Twilight. "Don't try to stop me."

Twilight wanted desperately to change Spike's mind, but her heart told her that it was useless. There was no stopping Spike as he charged out the door. Twilight could only watch from the doorway as Spike began his trek through the snow Everfree Forest. He planned to go through Everfree and then cross the meadow to Sweet Apple Acres, in hopes that Ukuk retreated back to the forest.

Along the way, Spike stopped as a familiar scent came to his nostrils. Jihn jumped in front of Spike's path. The two shared a glare.

"Oh, it's you again," Ammy came up behind Jihn. "Where's that other unicorn? Nevermind, Jihn and I are off to Canterlot. We can't be bothered with the likes of you."

Spike snarled slightly, and simply watched as Ammy and Jihn left his sight. Why did Jihn seemingly have to be everywhere? Spike decided to ignore his hate for Jihn and continue on his way.

Jihn and Ammy continued on their way to Canterlot. Suddenly Jihn stopped, hissing. Ammy stopped too. Jihn smelled something he didn't like...

Spike was close to Sweet Apple Acres. He began crossing the meadow. As he neared Sweet Apple Acres, Spike could clearly see Ukuk among the trees. Then, out of nowhere-

"Jihn, attack!" Ammy's voice rang clearly through the meadow.

Obediently, Jihn raced past Spike and jumped onto Ukuk's face. Spike watched, shocked, as Ukuk's attempt to swipe at the silver drake was thwarted as Jihn nimbly jumped out of the way and onto the ground, growling.

Spike wasn't going to stand by and watch. While Jihn was preparing another attack, Spike had already launched himself at the basilisk, and bit the beast's nose. The two drakes didn't realize it, but they were working together on this.

Ukuk swatted Spike away, but Spike managed to get up off the ground without serious injury. Meanwhile, Ukuk had started to run back to Everfree Forest, Jihn right behind. Spike watched in amazement as Jihn effortlessly ran in front of Ukuk's path.

What happened next, Spike could not believe his eyes. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Jihn ran at Ukuk, the two animals going head-to-head. Jihn went so fast, he was a silver blur. He looked like a shooting star! Ukuk reared up... And Jihn went straight through the basilisk's chest, bursting out the other side in a wave of blood. Ukuk fell down with a thump, dead.

Spike slowly approached the beast, not able to believe what he had just seen.

"How do you like _that_?" Ammy came trotting up to Jihn, who sat near his kill.

Spike didn't answer, he just continued to stare at what was once a brutal murderer.

"This isn't Ukuk," Spike said solemnly.

"Wha-what?" Ammy questioned. "By Ukuk, I assume you mean the giant black beast that's been roaming around here, right? Isn't this him?"

_Rumors are spreading, _Spike thought. _It wouldn't surprise me if everyone in Ponyville knows about Ukuk. But they don't know all of it._

"This basilisk has both eyes intact," Spike explained. "Ukuk is missing one."

"But thi-this one fits the description perfectly!" Ammy complained. "Other than the eye..."

"There's only one explanation," Spike continued. "This is Ukuk's son." Spike shook his head. "How terrible. There's probably more. At this rate, Ukuk will have control over the entire Everfree Forest, and then Ponyville will be doomed. After that, it could spread to Canterlot, and all over Equestria."

Jihn growled deeply, staring at the forest.

"What is it, Jihn?" Ammy asked. Spike answered instead.

"Ukuk. He's here."

Sure enough, Ukuk's looming figure had appeared on the edge of the meadow, one eye and all. Spike nearly started charging at the basilisk, but stopped himself.

_No... Not now, _Spike decided.

Eventually, Ukuk turned around and left the area, disappearing into the forest.

Ammy, Jihn, and Spike all headed back to Ponyville. Not as a group, but simply because they were headed in the same direction. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the area, calling Spike's name.

_It's Twilight, _Spike thought. _She must be out looking for me. I'll have to go get her. How annoying._

Spike turned away from Ammy and Jihn and ran towards where the sound came from. He soon found Twilight, and saw her before she saw him. But just as Spike was going to call her name, he watched in horror as Twilight slipped and began sliding rapidly down a steep slope. Without wasting any time, Spike ran down the slope after her. Twilight was getting closer and closer to an icy trench. Eventually, she fell in, her scream echoing through the darkness.

Spike stood at the top of the trench, horrified. He was still there when she heard someone approaching. Fluttershy approached the distraught drake.

"Spike? I hope I'm not imposing, but may I please ask what's wrong?" the yellow pegasus asked in a quiet voice. "I heard screaming, and I thought I should come and see what's wrong..."

Spike's voice shook with disbelief as he answered, "Twilight fell down this trench!"

Fluttershy's jaw fell.

"I have to go get her," Spike said. He turned to Fluttershy. "Will you help me?"

Fluttershy thought about this for a moment, then answered, "What do you need me to do?"

The plan was simple: Fluttershy was to get some rope. When she came back, Spike would grab the rope in his jaws and go down the trench, while Fluttershy held the rope. Once Spike found Twilight, he would wrap the rope around her and himself and give Fluttershy the signal to hoist them both up. The signal was to be a short puff of flame, from which smoke would rise out of the trench and alert Fluttershy.

After Spike explained the plan, Fluttershy said that she didn't think she could hold the rope and then hoist Twilight and Spike back up all on her own. So, Spike was forced to wait patiently while Fluttershy got the help of Pinkie Pie. Once Pinkie was given a run-down of the situation at hand, she was more than enthusiastic to help.

And so, Spike ventured down the side of the icy trench, rope held firmly in his jaws. Unlike any of the ponies, Spike could use his claws to keep himself from slipping and falling into the darkness. He carefully made his descent, constantly on the look-out for his lost, violet friend.

There was a moment where Spike did slip, and began skidding down the side of the trench. Just as he managed to get himself to a halt, Spike looked to his left and finally found Twilight. Thank her lucky stars, she had landed on a flat rock that jutted out from the wall of the trench, like a shelf. Spike quickly made his way over to her, and landed on the rock. She was unconscious. Now was the tough part.

Spike did everything he could to wake Twilight up. He licked her face, growled into her ear, and nudged her about while being careful not to push her off the safety of the rock. He considered biting her, but then he came up with a new idea.

The purple drake carefully slithered under Twilight's waist and out the other side. Spike then jumped over Twilight to where he was before. Now the rope was securely around her. Spike let loose a puff of flame, hoping Fluttershy and Pinkie would see it and lift them both up. But the only way it would work was if Spike could keep a firm hold on part of the rope above them.

Spike bit onto the rope with all that he was worth, taking care not to chew through it but tightly enough so that the hold was firm. Soon, Spike felt himself being pulled back up the trench.

He looked down and was pleased to see Twilight being pulled up along with him. So far, so good. It wasn't long before Spike's gums started to ache from Twilight's weight. Blood began pouring from the drake's lips, but he knew he had to endure the pain if he wanted to save his friend. It was the only way...

"I see them!" Pinkie announced, still pulling the rope up with her mouth. "There they are! Oh goody goody!"

Soon both Twilight and Spike were safely out of the trench. Spike still held onto the rope, but finally let his jaws relax when he heard Twilight say, "Wha-what happened?" Spike then got up, went over to her, and nearly collapsed from the whole endeavor.

"You fell down a trench, but Spike pulled you out," Fluttershy explained.

"It was awful!" Pinkie added. "I wasn't there, but I'm sure it was horrible! But you're okay now! And now you can come and have lots of cupcakes! I would have been sad not being able to have another party with you Twi-"

"That's enough, Pinkie," Twilight said, chuckling. Pinkie realized what she was doing and fell silent, but there was still a happy smile on her face.

"Spike...," Twilight said as he approached her. "You saved my life." "She playfully poked his face. "Next time, it's my turn to save yours, deal?"


End file.
